Hero's Bond
by Shadow Lucario
Summary: Jayden thought long and hard about his career path, not knowing which side to choose. But which path will he take when he's faced with an even bigger choice than what he will do for a living?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Distance

"What do you want to do? That's what everyone asks me. Do you want to challenge the gyms or dazzle people in contests? Are you made to become a Ranger and protect Pokémon or are you meant to have a Pokémon at all?"

"Sounds like your friends give you a hard time."

"I don't see why I have to have everything figured out right now. I'm only fourteen years old!"

"Well when I was a kid we had to make that decision by the time we were ten. Consider yourself lucky now that the laws have changed."

A young boy and his father had been conversing as they approached their small house in a quiet town located somewhere in the Johto region. The town didn't have many residents so just about everyone knew everyone. A sign indicated that the town was named New Bark, the town where winds of a new beginning blow.

"Burton tells me I should participate in contests like him. He even said that Marshall was going the same route," the boy told his father.

"Listen Jayden, no matter what you choose I'll be proud of you." The man placed his hand on Jayden's head, ruffling his black hair. "When is your appointment with the Professor?"

"It's in half an hour. I've never been so nervous Dad! I have to tell the Professor what I'm going to choose right? I still don't know!"

The man now put his hands on the boy's shoulders, kneeling so they were at eye level. "You'll be fine. Just go with whatever your heart tells you."

Jayden bit his bottom lip, looking down at the ground. "What did you do Dad?"

"I just traveled. Originally I thought I was going to be a contest master, but I failed miserably in my first contest. That's when I decided I just wanted to travel and see as many Pokémon as I could. Now go. You don't want to be late."

Jayden turned away from his father, letting out a sigh, fixing his red jacket and wiping dust off his black jeans. With a wave the boy began walking towards a large building. The building had a smoke stack on the roof, smoke emitting from it and rising in the midday sky. A few people greeted Jayden as he passed them. Once he reached the building he knocked on the large wooden door, a loud gulp coming from his throat as he swallowed. The door swung inwards to reveal a fairly young man with tousled sand colored hair.

"Jayden," the man exclaimed, pulling his lab coat back onto his shoulder. "You're about ten minutes early. Seems like you and your friends have a lot in common."

Jayden looked at him confused, but when he walked into the lab he saw what he meant. In the next room were three people; two boys and a girl. The boys had been wearing similar clothing to Jayden, the colors being the only difference. The girl had sported a pink tank top and a white skirt.

"Jayden you made it!" one of the boys shouted.

"We're all here early and we're wearing the same style of clothing. We've been friends for way too long!" the other boy said with a grin.

"Then it's a good thing we won't be getting the same Pokémon," the girl said crossing her arms. "That would be too many similarities in one day."

"Speaking of Pokémon, come into the next room and make your pick," the Professor said, pushing Jayden into the room where the other three were. "Now that we're all here we can get you guys your first Pokémon ahead of schedule!"

"Ladies first," said the girl, stepping up to a table that had four orbs placed on it. The top half was red while the bottom half was white. A silver strip with a white button separated them at the middle. After carefully looking over the Poké Balls, the girl picked one up and held it in the air. "Totodile is mine!"

"Come on Kaylie!" the boy in the green jacket groaned. "You know I was going to pick Totodile!"

"Too bad Marshall; it's mine." The girl stuck her tongue out at him.

"I guess I'll choose next," Jayden said, stepping up. Placing his hand over one of the balls, Jayden's heart began to beat really fast. [I]Oh crap![/I] he thought. [I]I forgot which Pokémon were being offered! Do I ask the Professor? No. That will make me look stupid. Damn! Guess I'll have to choose randomly![/I]

Closing his eyes, Jayden moved his hand over the balls three times before throwing his hand on one. Another groan came from Marshall as Jayden picked the ball up. "Cyndaquil was my second choice!"

"My turn," shouted the boy in the blue jacket. He carefully looked at the two balls remaining before turning back to the Professor. "Could you tell me the last two Pokémon remaining? The only one I remembered was Cyndaquil and it was taken."

"In past years this lab had only offered three Pokémon," the Professor explained. "Those three were Totodile, Cyndaquil, and Chikorita. Over time there had been more and more instances of four people becoming trainers instead of three. So to make sure that no one had to wait for their Pokémon the labs decided to offer four Pokémon as opposed to three."

"That was a nice history lesson, but that doesn't answer my question," the boy said, turning back to the Poké Balls.

"Well, by process of elimination one of the Pokémon left has to be Chikorita," the Professor told him with a chuckle. "The other tends to change and this year it is an Abra, a Psychic Pokémon known for its tendency to teleport away in battle."

"How did you catch it then?" Marshall asked.

"This Abra is different from normal Abras. Instead of running away it attacked me," said the Professor.

"Then I'll pick the aggressive Abra!" the boy said, swiping the ball and rubbing it against his face.

"Thank you Burton!" Marshall said as he approached the table. "I wanted Chikorita just as much as Cyndaquil!"

"Now that we have that settled it's time I gave you the tools you need for your journey," the Professor told them, leading them into the next room. Scrambling around the room searching through different drawers, he finally came back with four different small boxes. "In these boxes are five Poké Balls. You use these to catch different Pokémon. Also there are registration slips for either the Pokémon League, where you would collect all eight badges in the region, or the contest circuit where you would go to the many contest halls to try and collect five ribbons to enter the Grand Festival."

Each of the kids took a box, smiles on all their faces. "I can't wait to get to training!" Burton exclaimed, placing all the Poké Balls in his jacket pocket.

"You and me both," Jayden said, placing them on his belt.

"So then you've decided on what you want to do?" Marshall asked.

Jayden chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Of course; I'm going to-" [I]Come on Jayden think! What is it that you want to do?! Maybe I should tell them one thing and decide later[/I]. "I'll be in the contest circuit like you!"

"Awesome!" Marshall and Burton cheered.

"While you guys have fun with your little dancing and what not I'm going to be taking on the gyms and making my Pokémon the best battlers there are," Kaylie told them, flipping her brown hair.

"Just because we're going to be Coordinators doesn't mean we won't be able to beat you!" Burton told her. "My Pokémon are going to be both strong and elegant!"

"Now to do that you'll have to start your journey first," the Professor said with a chuckle.

The kids all started to laugh as they headed towards the exit. Marshall turned around and shouted, "Thanks a ton Professor Michael!"

"Please call me Professor Elm," he shouted back. "I took my great grandfather's name."

"I'm going to say goodbye to my folks," Burton said, running off.

"My grandma told me to stop by before I left," said Kaylie, running off as well.

"Are you going to say goodbye to your dad?" Marshall asked Jayden.

"Yeah" he replied. "I'll meet up with you sometime though."

Marshall nodded with a grin. With their goodbyes said, Jayden began to walk back towards his house, Poké Ball in hand. During the entire ten minute walk he had been staring at the ball, not even noticing when people would say hello. When he opened the door to his house streamers and a loud popping noise greeted him. His dad had been waiting by the door with the party popper. A woman behind him blew into a kazoo, playing a made up melody.

"Dad, Aunt Kacie," he said surprised.

"Your aunt had come over from Cherrygrove to see you off," his dad told him.

"I couldn't let my only nephew start his journey without seeing me first," Kacie said, giving him a big kiss on the cheek.

"So what Pokémon did you get?" his father asked.

"I ended up choosing Cyndaquil," Jayden answered, holding up the Poké Ball.

"Have you said hello to it yet?" Kacie asked.

Jayden shook his head. "I'm going to wait until we're on the road. I better leave now if I want to reach Cherrygrove by dark. Will you go with me Aunt Kacie?"

"I'll be staying here. Dan has offered to let me take the extra room. My old bones can only take so much walking in one day."

Dan pulled his son into an embrace, smiling at him."Your mother would be proud of you."

Jayden's eyes suddenly began to water. He turned, wiping the tears away with his sleeve. "I'll see you later okay Dad?" Even though the tears had been wiped away the sadness was still present in his voice.

"Sure thing son. Make me proud."

Once he left the house, he let a single tear slide down his face. After taking a deep breath, Jayden looked at the Poké Ball again, excitement returning. Looking down the street he saw the path that exited New Bark Town, a smile appearing on his face.

"Let's do this Cyndaquil," he said to the ball before placing it on his belt and running towards the exit, towards the start of his journey.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Escort

"…and that's when Marshall told me I had to know what I wanted to do. I shouldn't have to know right?"

A few hours after receiving his first Pokémon, Jayden decided to let Cyndaquil out and walk. He had been explaining that he had no idea if he wanted to compete in contests or try to become a Pokémon champion. Cyndaquil quietly listened, nodding at certain times.

"So you're a boy right?" Jayden asked, not sure of how to tell.

Cyndaquil shook her head fiercely. On her back the four red spots that had been present lit up, a fire being produced. Scratching her long milky colored nose, Cyndaquil looked away.

"I'm sorry," Jayden apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "I should have been able to tell. The fur on your back is a much lighter blue than a male's and the cream color of your underside is way prettier."

"Cynda!" Cyndaquil said, giving Jayden a smile.

Just a few feet ahead of them a rustling was heard as the tall grass began to shake. Both Jayden and Cyndaquil stopped, not knowing what was making the noise. A loud shrilling noise filled the young trainer's ears as a small, round bird flew out. It passed Jayden so fast he could only catch a glimpse of gold.

"What the hell was that?!" Jayden shouted, turning on his heel.

Turning around in the air was a creature that resembled an owl. Its wings couldn't be any longer than a foot each. When the Pokémon was heading back towards the two, its big red eyes stared into Jayden's green ones. Jayden jumped out of the way, barely dodging the bird.

"That looks like a Hoothoot, but it's not the same color," observed Jayden. "Is something wrong with it? Get out of here you crazy looking Hoothoot! Leave me and Cyndaquil alone!"

Picking up a rock, Jayden launched it at the Pokémon. The Hoothoot easily dodged the rock. Cyndaquil jumped into the air, tackling itself into Hoothoot. The owl fell to the ground, stunned. Quickly getting back into the air, Hoothoot flew off, a sad look on its face.

"Good job Cyndaquil," Jayden complemented his Pokémon, patting her on the head. "You won your first battle!"

"Quil!" Cyndaquil cried with a smile.

"We better get on to Cherrygrove soon. You earned yourself a treat."

Picking up Cyndaquil, Jayden continued on the path, lights and reflections from buildings showing themselves a few miles away. Before long Cyndaquil had fallen asleep, snuggling close to Jayden's chest. Jayden smiled as he looked at his Pokémon.

_Now I must decide. Do I want to become a coordinator or a Pokémon League competitor? There must be some way to decide. A coin toss? No that's too random. _

Cries from different Pokémon emitted from the bushes as he walked. The city lights became closer and Jayden's heart beat accelerated. He would have to make his decision soon. A figure jumped out of the bushes to his left, causing him to jump. Jayden tightly squeezed Cyndaquil, but soon realized it was someone he knew.

"Kaylie," he gasped, catching his breath.

"Oh Jayden it's you," Kaylie said in surprise. "How have the first few hours been for you?"

"Not too bad. I learned my Cyndaquil is a girl and that she can battle. She beat up a Hoothoot that was weirdly colored."

"Was it gold by any chance?"

"Yeah, why?"

Kaylie slapped her hand on her face, chuckling a little bit. "That was a shiny Hoothoot. You don't see Pokémon like that every day. Scientists say that one in a million Pokémon species is shiny. You just scared off the only shiny Hoothoot on this side of Johto."

Jayden's jaw dropped. "Oh great!" he shouted. "I meet an extremely rare Pokémon and I make it run away!"

"Heh, only you would manage something like that. Remember that time you had the one ticket that would win you backstage passes to the Jolteon's concert, but you gave it away saying you would never win?"

"Don't remind me! That was a long time ago anyway!"

Kaylie scratched the side of her face. "That was last week…"

"What are you doing in the bushes anyway?" Jayden asked, trying to change the subject.

"I'm looking for Pokémon. I've already caught one. I'm going to need a bunch of Pokémon if I want to be a good trainer. What about you?"

He held up Cyndaquil, the Fire Mouse Pokémon rubbing her eyes. "It's still just me and Cyndaquil."

"You're going to want to catch some more Pokémon if you want to keep up," Kaylie told him. "Even coordinators need lots of Pokémon.

Jayden looked off to the side, his happy expression vanishing. "I'm not even sure if that's what I want to do…"

Kaylie gave him a sympathetic look, placing her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay that you don't know what you want to do. You don't need to make up your mind now."

"My dad told me that my mom had traveled Johto competing in gyms trying to earn admission to the Silver Conference."

"How did she do?"

"She only got two badges before she met my dad. They began dating and soon after she only wanted to be with him. She gave up training for him." Jayden placed Cyndaquil on the ground, taking a seat by her, leaning against a tree. "My dad originally intended to become a coordinator but found that he liked traveling too much."

Kaylie leaned against a tree as well, crossing her arms. She looked up at the sky watching as the clouds slowly drifted across. Jayden rubbed Cyndaquil on the top of her head, smiling.

"How about you travel with me to Violet City?" Kaylie suggested. "That's where the first gym in the Silver Conference is. You can watch me battle and decide there."

"But I have to sign up in Cherrygrove City," Jayden protested, "and Cherrygrove is about a week from Violet."

"Then just sign on for the Silver Conference anyway. I'm sure you'll see it's a bunch of fun."

With a look of hesitance, Jayden stood, nodding his head. He looked down at Cyndaquil and she just smiled at her trainer, nodding as well. "Cyndaquil likes the idea so I like it too."

"Great," Kaylie exclaimed. "Now let's get a move on for Cherrygrove so we can register!"

Walking the rest of the way with Kaylie made Jayden feel slightly better even if he didn't come to a full decision about his career yet. Most of the way Kaylie talked about her future plans of conquering eight gyms in Johto and then winning the Silver Conference. When Jayden brought up the possibility of her losing she scoffed saying that it wouldn't happen. Cyndaquil trotted beside the two happily, grabbing flowers as they went. The new trainers stopped when they reached a sign, reading it quickly before continuing on.

"Welcome to Cherrygrove City," the sign said. "A city where you can smell small flowers and a sea breeze."

"We made it to Cherrygrove City," Kaylie whispered. "This is the beginning of our journey. This is where we officially start. Are you ready to make a name for yourself?"

"I-I guess so," Jayden stammered.

Grabbing him by the arm, Kaylie led Jayden into a fairly large building that was close to the city's entrance. Its red ceiling had a large P on top. As soon as they passed the sliding glass doors the smell of clean tile filled the trainers' noses. Pokémon cries filled the room coming from all kinds of Pokémon, some that Jayden had never seen. One area seemed to be designed for trainers to relax with their Pokémon and talk with others while the rest seemed to be an infirmary. Before Jayden could take in all the Pokémon he was pulled down the middle to a counter where a young lady with pink hair stood. Her outfit was that of a nurse's.

"Hello and welcome to the Cherrygrove Pokémon Center," she greeted them. "I am this city's Nurse Joy. How may I help you?"

"We'd like to register for the Silver Conference," Kaylie said before Jayden could utter a word.

"Identification please," the nurse said with a smile.

"Uh, we don't have any," answered Jayden nervously.

"Then you will need to fill out these forms." From under the desk, Joy pulled out two clipboards, a few pages of paper on each, and a pen at the top.

Both of the trainers took a clipboard and walked over to the trainer's area, sitting on the nearest couch. Removing the pen, Jayden began to carefully answer all the questions that the paper had.

"Height, about 5' 10". Weight, around 120 lbs," Jayden whispered to himself. "Hometown and starter Pokémon. Preferred career choice." When he got to this question he stopped. Looking down at Cyndaquil Jayden was met with yet another smile. After putting his pen down and picking it back up Jayden simply wrote Silver Conference and slammed the pen onto the clipboard.

"Wonderful," Joy said once they handed her the clipboards. "Now we just need to get pictures of you."

Stepping aside, Joy pulled out a camera, a wire attached to it. After typing a few things on the keyboard, Joy motioned for Kaylie to stand against the white wall opposite the trainer section. Kaylie smiled big, a bright flash emitting from the camera. After she darted behind Joy, Jayden walked to the wall, taking a deep breath in. Right before the picture was taken Cyndaquil ran over to her trainer and jumped on his shoulder. Jayden placed his hand on top of her head and gave a soft smile. To his surprise Joy had taken the picture.

"Here you are," said Joy, handing them their new identification cards while reaching behind the desk again. "And these are your badge cases. Once you have collected eight badges from the gyms of Johto you will be eligible to enter the Silver Conference. Good luck and we hope to see you again!"


End file.
